Two-thirds dissatisfied with vaccine rollout: Gallup

Two-thirds of Americans surveyed in a new Gallup poll expressed dissatisfaction with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.  

The survey determined that 66 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with the vaccination distribution and administration process as responsibility for the initiative transferred to the Biden administration. More than one-fifth of participants — at 21 percent — said they were very dissatisfied.  

A total of 34 percent of Americans reported satisfaction with the vaccination rollout, with 4 percent saying they were very satisfied.

Republicans were split on the issue, with 51 percent expressing dissatisfaction and 49 percent saying they were satisfied with the process. Majorities of Democrats and independents said they were dissatisfied with the process, at 79 percent and 63 percent, respectively. 

The poll also recorded the highest percentage of participants being willing to take the vaccine since Gallup began asking in July, with 71 percent saying they were now open to it. This included 9 percent of people who responded that they had taken at least one dose of the vaccine already.

The new findings represent an increase from the 65 percent who said they would be willing to take the vaccine in December.

Willingness to take the vaccine rose to record highs among Democrats and Republicans, at 91 percent and 51 percent, respectively. Republicans, however, are still the least likely among the demographic groups to be willing to get the inoculations. 

The Gallup poll surveyed 4,098 adults between Jan. 25 and 31, or five to 11 days after President Biden’s inauguration. The margin of error amounted to 2 percentage points.

Biden railed against the Trump administration’s vaccination plans in a CBS News interview last week, saying “one of the disappointments” while transitioning was “the circumstances related to how the administration was handling COVID was even more dire than we thought.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 32.8 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with more than 9.8 million getting both doses.

— Updated at 7:44 a.m.